Saturday January 21, 2017 was a very productive day for filmmaker Terry R. Wickham. It was the beginning of a 16-hour period of time that he led 18 people in making the Trailer for Whatever It Takes. The shoot began with the crew arriving at a call time of 3pm and didn’t end until 6:45am the next day, Sunday January 22, 2017.

The lead actors of Take It Back are (left to right) Nicholas Calhoun, Anthony Bisciello, Phil Locastro and Rocco Gioia

This opportunity brought some crew from Terry’s film Abandoned, mixing them with the main cast from Take It Back TV Episode 1 (2015) and some new cast & crew members.

(L to R) Director Terry Wickham leans down to look at his shooting script, while Grip Ian Biesinger is ready to assist, DP Adrian Popescu lines up shot, with Steadicam Operator Frank Angelcyk listening. Giorgio Savona holds the Steadicam. Near far right actor Rich Haddad sits preparing to play the role of “Dan”

Wickham talks how things went down, “Whenever you do a movie, trailer for movie or music video there’s no telling how things will go because you are combining all sorts of folks. Some are experienced, while others are not. You don’t truly know the commitment each person will make or the work ethic they will exert beforehand. So in some ways it sort of crapshoot. The one thing that’s certain is no shoot is ever exactly the same.

But as we went to work, it was obvious to me that we had some hard working talented people on board who cared about what we were doing.

In the screen grab from the Trailer for Take It Back, DP Adrian Popescu really captures the moment with his lens and lights as Nicholas Calhoun plays “Lorenzo”

There’s one shot between his acting and the composition Adrian Popescu orchestrated, which looks right out of a Michael Mann film.

In this screen grab from the Trailer for Take It Back, “Gino” (Rocco Gioia) listens to “Mike’ (Phil Locastro) rant to “Betty” (Janice Silver)

Rocco Gioia played his character “Gino” not far off the vest. This was a smart choice on his part, as he come across very natural. Some of his lines & expressions with “Sarah” (Megan Penn) had me laughing.

Actress Megan Penn delivered as “Sarah.” Leading up to the shoot I was met with some opposition from some of the stalwarts on the project as they didn’t feel her character was necessary and couldn’t understand someone would fly in from Los Angeles to do the part.

In this screen grab from the Trailer for Take It Back, “Sarah” (Megan Penn) is trying to deal with the death of a loved one. “Dan” (Rich Haddad) sits close to her right, while “Mike” (Phil Locastro) sits in the distant right

But Megan made them believers after seeing her performance. I really enjoy working with her because she’s utterly committed and looks sensational.

Janice Silver really impressed me as “Betty.” Not only did she bring the wealth of her life experience to the role which made her very believable, but helped transport Megan to the shoot as well. Most important to me was her positive attitude. She didn’t complain one bit when it took a while to get to her first scene and I appreciated her patience and understanding of the filmmaking process.

Cinematographer Adrian Popescu is a master of the camera in Yonkers, New York January 21, 2017

Director of Photography Adrian Popescu proved is worth in gold and made a lasting impression on everyone who hadn’t worked with him before. I got compliments on his work from almost everyone.

DP Adrian Popescu and Director Terry R. Wickham show true chemistry as a filmmaking tandem. 1st AC Giorgio Savona has been part of both their filmmaking endeavors so far

What’s so great for me about Adrian is that even though I came in with a strong vision (every shot planned out), when you get in the throes of production sometimes you need to alter or cut shots. When this happened I would go to Adrian to ask what he thought and he always had excellent feedback when I had to make such decisions. To me, it’s not just telling the DP what to do, but at getting his creative input to germinate our visual partnership on the movie.

1st Assistant Camera Giorgio Savona between shots

Having Giorgio Savona back from Abandoned as First Assistant camera was nothing but a joy. Giorgio understood Adrian’s working style and provided Adrian the assistance as his right hand man. Giorgio brings a real upbeat attitude that makes the hard work even more fun than it should be. I can’t wait to work with him again on the film I’m directing and Adrian is shooting next month called Gruesome Threesome.

Steadicam Operator Frank Angelcyk with his rig

Steadicam operator Frank Angelcyk stayed beyond the time he had initially agreed to, which really helped to get the floating shots I had envisioned for this scene. I credit this to his character and obvious friendship with Adrian, who brought him aboard the production. I haven’t seen the footage since we shot but in the monitor it looked quite good to me.

Gaffer Dexter Fenner looks pleased to be part the shoot for the Trailer for Take It Back

I could help but notice the effort given by Gaffer Dexter Fenner. I kid you not that the man virtual never stopped working. I saw him stepping over pews during takes to attend to lights, flags, apply diffusion on a never-ending basis.

This is the only photo Terry could find that had Co-Producer RIchard Kern in. You can see Rick way back on the far right watching the scene scene shot of the four guys talking in the pew in Virgin Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church located in Yonkers, New York

I’ve got to give Co-Producer Richard Kern credit. Besides finding Dexter and the two grips and production assistant, Richard gathered all the food for the shoot and took care of some production logistics. This was very helpful for the shoot because Producer/Co-Writer/Creator/Actors Rocco Gioia and Phil Locastro were busy playing their respective roles.

“Dan” (Rich Haddad) walks over to sit down next to his friend “Mike.” Steadicam Operator Frank Angelcyk follows capturing it happen

We have to really thank Rich Haddad for getting the location, which not only looked good but was very comfortable filming in. Plus Rich played the character “Dan” seen early in the scene. I felt his contribution as an actor was valuable because he help set up the comradery of the scene.

Sound Recordist Mark Fraunhofer with boom on the set of the Trailer for Take It Back

Sound Recordist Mark Fraunhofer joined the team shortly before the shoot when the original sound guy departed three days before filming. Mark captured what was needed with a combination of his lavalier and boom mics.

Make-Up Artist Regina Tune works her craft on actress Megan Penn

It was great seeing Abandoned Make-Up Artist Regina Tune again and everyone loved working with her. She certainly did her job making the actors look as they could. I just adore her how beautiful of a person she is on the inside and outside.

Make-Up Artist Maria Alexandra at work for the Trailer for Take It Back

Make-Up Artist Maria Alexandra was new to the team and she was quiet and went about her job in an almost unnoticeable way, which is a compliment to her.

Five Towns College ended up providing the two grips and production assistant, so I was happy with who came out of that institution. The knowledge and integrity each person displayed reflects that school well. Plus they were the only people who got to the location before me, which hasn’t happened often in my 30-year directing career. So right of the bat they made a good impression.

Grip Ian Biesinger operates the slate on the set of the Trailer for Take It Back

Grip Ian Biesinger was pretty invaluable jumping right into helping Dexter get the lights set up and then later taking the reins on updating and clapping the slate. Ian definitely has what it takes to do this type of endurance work. There seemed to be no job too big or small for his skills and that’s the perfect attitude needed to succeed in this business.

Grip Eileen Viglietta (center of photo) looks on as a shot is set up

Grip Eileen Viglietta was a real breath of fresh air on the set. She came in with a smile on her face and carried enthusiastic spirit that was infectious. This may not sound like a big deal to you, but on a movie shoot that lasts a double a normal 8-hour work day, it’s huge in making the experience more enriching. Eileen was also right there helping with lights and all related equipment, which was exactly what was needed.

Production Assistant Nicholas Girimonte

Production Assistant Nicholas Girimonte was another real find. Positive, interested in everything, he served as Richard Kern’s right hand man taking care of all sorts of things needed to be attended to. He is definitely passionate about filmmaking and that’s the single most important trait anyone can have to do this type of work.

The only real problems over the shoot was having some perfectly good takes ruined by people talking outside the set area and some normal delays with lighting and the Steadicam gear.

Despite a high page count and over 20 shots to get in limited time, the shoot for the Whatever It Takes was a success. Sure I had to alter some of the shots I was hoping to get, but that is expected on every production. I look forward to when the Trailer/scene is edited and ready for everyone to see exactly what we did up in Yonkers, New York on this January weekend.

Los Angeles/New York Actress Megan Penn will be playing “Sarah” in the upcoming trailer Whatever It Takes.

Director Terry R. Wickham says, “When I visualized the scene we are doing for the trailer, I felt there was a missing ingredient. I sensed there should be a pretty woman mixed within the church scene to satisfy that part of the eventual watching audience.

I knew that not only should she be beautiful and sexy, but provide an innocence and softness the movie needs for balance. Sort of a bright light mixed amongst the darkness of the situation and different moral characters.

I told this to Producer/Co-Writer/Actor/Creator Rocco Gioia. I voiced that it would be smart if this female part became an integral supporting role within the feature film, because this would be unexpected and Rocco agreed. I honestly looked at this part as sort of the Amy Brenneman “Eady” role in Michael Mann’s Heat, which is one of my favorite movies.

Rocco suggested we cast the actress that played my “date” in Edwin Figueroa’s Choke movie. I couldn’t argue with that, so I called her.

Megan was immediately interested in playing the part and went as far as getting herself back to the East Coast from Los Angeles to be able to film the Trailer Saturday January 21st. This shows incredible commitment & dedication on her part to the project. I’m truly looking forward to working with her again, this time as her director.”

Megan Penn is a Los Angeles Woman with New York blood. She was born in Long Island, New York and raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles County. Miss Penn trained in a conservatory program at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, privately with Yale trained Gregory Berger Sobeck and at The Actors Collective with Bo Jesse Christopher. Feeling frustrated with the depth and complexity of female roles, she redirected her focus behind the camera, which led Megan to direct, write and star in her first short film Amenonamnia, a silent film about a woman who lives in her mirage-filled mind. While well trained, but new to the Hollywood scene, old Hollywood glamour runs through Miss Penn’s veins. She is the distant great niece of Academy Award winner Anne Bancroft, who remains her greatest inspiration. Both actors are Strasberg alumni. Fiercely independent, Penn plans to be the kind of woman both in front of and behind the camera. She will soon be featured in the upcoming notable art book ‘100 Women’ shot by fellow female filmmaker Nadia Lee Cohen.

Upcoming Devil’s Five segment “Choke” Producer Terry Wickham has cast European Actress Rrita Toka to play one of the “Director’s Dates” in the movie.

Wickham explains, “I really felt it was only right to allow the real filmmakers playing the roles to have a say on who was cast as their date, so I gave Producer/Actor Rocco Gioia the top five candidates I had narrowed it down from the auditions I conducted. He ended up choosing Rrita. What’s really interesting is that she was actually cast by a different director the week before. But then when I didn’t hear from her for a week, I decided to move on and re-cast that role. Then she reached out letting me know she was out of town so I put her back in consideration for Rocco’s potential date.

Photo Daniel Murtagh

She’s really lucky because this was the one of the last two roles left to cast in the movie. That fact she was chosen twice by two different directors says a lot about her.”

Rrita Toka is an actress, soprano, and model based in New York. Originally from Kosovo, she came to New York at age fifteen to pursue her performing career. Her passion for cultural diversity inspires her to promote art within an international community of storytellers. In addition to English, she speaks Albanian, Turkish, and Spanish.

Recent projects include modeling for Federica Dall’Orso Photography, Daniel Murtagh and Make Up Forever, starring in the independent films “Mirage” (2015) and “Inspired by Punk Rock,” performing supporting roles for Travel Channel and Huffington Post.